Shooting It Out With a Terrorist

Dear Fellow Survivalist;

download (6)Greetings. Ever since the San Bernardino shooting, I’ve been thinking about what I would have done if I had been caught in that situation. Granted, firearms laws are much stricter in California and if I lived there, I probably wouldn’t have a concealed carry license. But what if it had happened here, where I live; what then?

Looking at what’s going on in the world today, it’s not unrealistic to think that you or I might be faced by such a situation. Terrorism is on the rise, regardless of what Obama says and terrorists don’t fight fair. We can count on them using rifles, not pistols and using body armor whenever they can. That puts us at a distinct disadvantage, if we’re ever going to have to face them.

Tactically, the San Bernardino shooting was a horrible situation. Two shooters, wearing body armor, walk into a room full of people and open fire with semi-automatic AR-15s. Going against something like that with my .45 caliber Springfield XDS or my 9mm Glock seems like a losing proposition at first glance. But just standing there with a gun on my belt, waiting for them to shoot me, is even more of a losing proposition.

So, how do you handle such a situation?

First of all, we have to throw out everything that Hollywood’s taught us. If you were the star in a Hollywood bang-bang shoot-em-up film, you could take on an entire army of terrorists, before reloading. Every shot of yours would kill a terrorist and no matter how many shots they sent your way, they’d all miss. But that’s fantasy, not reality.

However, there are some things you can do to make your reality a bit closer to that fantasy. To start with, you’re going to have to go for headshots. That means taking your time and shooting accurately, not something you really want to do when lead if flying. Hitting body armor might knock someone down, if they’re off-balance to start with or you catch them in such a way to knock the breath out of them; but I wouldn’t count on it. More than likely, a hit to their body armor is just going to attract their attention, so that their next shot is aimed at you.

We have to assume that these people are trained. But how good is their training? Do they know how to shoot at moving targets? Do they know how to shoot accurately, while moving? We don’t know, but we do know that it’s harder to hit a moving target and it’s harder to hit any target while you’re moving. So, you need to put yourself in motion, as quickly as you can. That increases your chances of survival.

The next thing you need is something to use as cover. That’s going to be hard to find, inside a building, but heavy furniture, a vending machine or a stack of filing cabinets might help. If nothing else, being behind those would make it hard for them to aim at you. So, move as quick as you can and put yourself behind cover, before you start shooting.

Of course, if you can get behind cover, you’re faced with the question of what to do. Do you shoot or do you hide? That’s a difficult one to make. You actually aren’t responsible to play hero and rescue everyone, no matter how much you might feel that urge. Hiding out and protecting yourself or just getting away might be the wiser course of action.

However, I don’t think I could do that. If I don’t just carry to protect myself, but to protect those around me. So if I was caught in such a situation, I know that I’d have to take action. I’d have to do what I could to protect others, even if it put me at risk.

Shooting from behind cover helps mitigate the risk. So does shooting from low down, near the ground. Most shooters will shoot chest high; that’s natural. If you are lying on the ground or even just kneeling down, they’re likely to shoot over your head. That’s to your advantage, as every shot that goes over your head is one that misses you.

But there’s another way to look at this, which I want you to think about. That’s playing guerrilla warfare. You will probably know the area where the attack is happening better than they do. So, if you can find a way around them, to get behind them, you might have a chance to take both of them out, before they can get you.

Keep in mind that every second it takes you to get around behind them is one more second they have to shoot. But you need something to counter their advantages. Getting yourself killed isn’t going to save any lives. But if you can get into a position where you have the drop on them, you might have a chance of winning the battle. That makes it worth considering.

You need to look at the places you frequent and see what opportunities they offer. Terrorists can show up anywhere. So, take the time to look around those places and make some tentative plans. The few seconds that could save you, when things turn real, could mean a couple of lives that are saved.

As always, until that day, keep your powder dry and your survival equipment close at hand.

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